Why Can't the Book Printed Material be Replaced with Plastic?

[Coroplast]

Plastic has the characteristics of waterproof and mildew that traditional paper does not have. The most important thing is that the toughness of plastic is N times higher than that of paper, and the cost difference between plastic and paper is not much. Do books have to use paper printing?

 

[REAndy]

Check out Karst Stone Paper, or Rocketbook, or search web for: paper from rocks. This paper is waterproof made from calcium carbonate. It's a very smooth writing experience. I don't see why some books (Field Guide's maybe?) couldn't be mad out of this "paper".
Another one is "Rite In The Rain". They make notebooks for outdoor use. They even sell their paper "loose-leaf". And I have had great success printing on this with a laser printer and using it outdoors in bad/wet weather.

 

[ced]

Soon there won't be a need for books from what I can see. Our love of books and having them at home has long ended.
Here people are putting their books in boxes to give away and even then they pile up with no takers.

 

[REAndy]

I must be really old fashioned, or maybe just nostalgic...
I like film, fountain pens, books I can hold, and vinyl records.

 

[Chan Tran]

I don't know about paper but I have been in both plastic and paper manufacturing and similar products made out of plastic is significantly less expensive than paper. But plastic is not biodegradable (majority of them any way)

 

[removed account4]

Plastic has the characteristics of waterproof and mildew that traditional paper does not have. The most important thing is that the toughness of plastic is N times higher than that of paper, and the cost difference between plastic and paper is not much. Do books have to use paper printing?

hi coroplast
im sure there are companies working on that very thing as we type . companies all over the world are findng new uses for recycled
plastics, from clothing, building materials to corrugated boxes. its just a matter of time, and hopefully it will be sooner rather than later
the world is filled with plastic waste. from your profile page you work for a company ( or they are your home page url ) that makes plastic board
why not ask people in your company? if they can make plastic into thick card-stock or corrugated boards i am sure it can be done thin enough to put in a printer or print photographs on them. resin coated papers have a thin layer of something like
plastic on them already ...
john

 

[removedacct1]

I don’t think we need more material to add to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Microplastic particles can now be found in many of our food sources, so I think it’s high time we were much more careful about what we choose to make of plastic. I vote for less, not more. Biodegradable is an asset.

 

[Molli]

I don’t think we need more material to add to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Microplastic particles can now be found in many of our food sources, so I think it’s high time we were much more careful about what we choose to make of plastic. I vote for less, not more. Biodegradable is an asset.

Agreed.
Also, as a bibliophile, all I can say is, no thanks.

 

[guangong]

Books on plastic? What I would like is for books to again be printed on quality paper. Earlier Dent Everyman hard cover books could once be slipped into a jacket pocket. Current printings are three or four times as thick. Just received an 800 pg book that is at least 4 inches thick and unwieldy to hold, especially in bed. I read APUG on my iPad and it works for short comments but, for me, not to convenient for book length material. Hard to flip pages.
Libraries have become entertainment centers. Someone noted that librarians are to books as eunuchs are to harems. Librariies are eager to put books that haven’t circulated into the dumpster. Best example, some years back Princeton U. Dumped an original edition of Newton’s Principia Mathematica.
And when the PC people really get serious about burning books, wouldn’t that add more toxins to the air?

 

[glbeas]

Check out Karst Stone Paper, or Rocketbook, or search web for: paper from rocks. This paper is waterproof made from calcium carbonate. It's a very smooth writing experience. I don't see why some books (Field Guide's maybe?) couldn't be mad out of this "paper".
Another one is "Rite In The Rain". They make notebooks for outdoor use. They even sell their paper "loose-leaf". And I have had great success printing on this with a laser printer and using it outdoors in bad/wet weather.

One reason plastic is not used as much is it takes special inks to print on plastic which cost a good bit more than the traditional product. Traditional inks have a hard time curing on plastic because it cant oxidise in a stack off the press, takes an epoxy type or uv cure ink. That and the plastics usually cant be put in the recycling bins like paper products. There are some types that are made to handle regular inks to a degree but are way more expensive than paper.

 

[slackercrurster]

Soon there won't be a need for books from what I can see. Our love of books and having them at home has long ended.
Here people are putting their books in boxes to give away and even then they pile up with no takers.

Yes, as long as the lights are on.

 

[slackercrurster]

Plastic has the characteristics of waterproof and mildew that traditional paper does not have. The most important thing is that the toughness of plastic is N times higher than that of paper, and the cost difference between plastic and paper is not much. Do books have to use paper printing?

RC paper. That is what I use in my artist's books...duo RC. But it is pricey and not 100% perfect. Even duo can have warping issues.

 

[removed account4]

Books on plastic? What I would like is for books to again be printed on quality paper. Earlier Dent Everyman hard cover books could once be slipped into a jacket pocket. Current printings are three or four times as thick. Just received an 800 pg book that is at least 4 inches thick and unwieldy to hold, especially in bed. I read APUG on my iPad and it works for short comments but, for me, not to convenient for book length material. Hard to flip pages.
Libraries have become entertainment centers. Someone noted that librarians are to books as eunuchs are to harems. Librariies are eager to put books that haven’t circulated into the dumpster. Best example, some years back Princeton U. Dumped an original edition of Newton’s Principia Mathematica.
And when the PC people really get serious about burning books, wouldn’t that add more toxins to the air?

i don't know ...
maybe it is a good idea to make things out of less ephemeral materials
while dense plastics are not flame retardant as stone tablets / stone books
i think it would be a good thing for long term storage.
if the materials in these libraries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_destroyed_libraries
were made on stone or tablet or some sort of strong non biodegradable, flame retardant materials we'd still be able
to see first hand the great works that have been destroyed by man made or natural disasters..
if the epic of gilgamesh was written on paper would be be able to read it today ? the rosetta stone?
personally, im working on translating my autobiography into cuniform or similar text and onto tablets that i eventually bury in my backyard
for safe keeping.

 

[jim10219]

One reason plastic is not used as much is it takes special inks to print on plastic which cost a good bit more than the traditional product. Traditional inks have a hard time curing on plastic because it cant oxidise in a stack off the press, takes an epoxy type or uv cure ink. That and the plastics usually cant be put in the recycling bins like paper products. There are some types that are made to handle regular inks to a degree but are way more expensive than paper.

I work at a print shop. We print books all of the time, and sometimes on plastic, also known as synthetic papers. Most modern synthetic papers don't require special inks or procedures. We use the same soy based inks in the same machines with very few minor changes in the process. Here's a link to a brand we frequently use:
http://www.polyart.com/en/synthetic-paper/extraordinary-synthetic-paper/how-it-prints

The real reason we don't print most of our books on plastic is because most people don't want their books printed on plastic. Books have a very long history, and often times in this digital age, the whole point of having a book printed is to give it a link to tradition. People still like reading books, and they still enjoy the tactile sensation of turning a page. Synthetic papers don't feel the same way. They're also more expensive. So for most people, it defeats the purpose of having a book printed and is more costly.

Though for some people, the synthetic papers make more sense. Especially if the book is going to be subjected to the elements, like a book with survival tips (though if you need to build a fire to survive, you can't use the book as kindling), weather chasing, or boat repair.

 

[nmp]

I am leery of answering such general query from a person who just joined who just happens to have a website. Most likely she knows the answer. I could be wrong, but most likely there will not be a follow-up from this poster.

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

Most of the offset printing industry's presses use wood-based paper. But Someone gave me a book called Cradle to Cradle printed on plastic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cradle_to_Cradle:_Remaking_the_Way_We_Make_Things

 

[jtk]

Toshiba demonstrated a printer that, at readers convenience would "un-print" (not merely erase) from Toshibas special paper..

 

[removed account4]

I work at a print shop. We print books all of the time, and sometimes on plastic, also known as synthetic papers. Most modern synthetic papers don't require special inks or procedures. We use the same soy based inks in the same machines with very few minor changes in the process. Here's a link to a brand we frequently use:
http://www.polyart.com/en/synthetic-paper/extraordinary-synthetic-paper/how-it-prints

The real reason we don't print most of our books on plastic is because most people don't want their books printed on plastic. Books have a very long history, and often times in this digital age, the whole point of having a book printed is to give it a link to tradition. People still like reading books, and they still enjoy the tactile sensation of turning a page. Synthetic papers don't feel the same way. They're also more expensive. So for most people, it defeats the purpose of having a book printed and is more costly.

Though for some people, the synthetic papers make more sense. Especially if the book is going to be subjected to the elements, like a book with survival tips (though if you need to build a fire to survive, you can't use the book as kindling), weather chasing, or boat repair.

thanks jim10219 !
makes me wonder what would have happened if the fearless crew of the S.S. Minnow had a survival and boat repair book made of synthetic paper, after all they tapped the "glue trees"

 

[jtk]

I work at a print shop. We print books all of the time, and sometimes on plastic, also known as synthetic papers. Most modern synthetic papers don't require special inks or procedures. We use the same soy based inks in the same machines with very few minor changes in the process. Here's a link to a brand we frequently use:
http://www.polyart.com/en/synthetic-paper/extraordinary-synthetic-paper/how-it-prints

The real reason we don't print most of our books on plastic is because most people don't want their books printed on plastic. Books have a very long history, and often times in this digital age, the whole point of having a book printed is to give it a link to tradition. People still like reading books, and they still enjoy the tactile sensation of turning a page. Synthetic papers don't feel the same way. They're also more expensive. So for most people, it defeats the purpose of having a book printed and is more costly.

Though for some people, the synthetic papers make more sense. Especially if the book is going to be subjected to the elements, like a book with survival tips (though if you need to build a fire to survive, you can't use the book as kindling), weather chasing, or boat repair.

Good points. Television has killed wisdom like that for too many people.

 

[KenS]

Use paper because 'when the time comes' to start a fire for 'survival purposes' it is easier to get a fire started with paper and a match than two sticks [or a sheet of plastic (or the bag)] in which your (now 'stale) sandwich lunch was wrapped.
Ken

 

[Vaughn]

%$#^&(*$@#$ plastic books.

Ken -- when my family took its first backpack trip together in the 60s, we each took a paperback with us. My brother took Gentle Ben, and we figured that would be the best one to use if we ran out of toilet paper.